SALT LAKE CITY — A proponent of Utah's newly passed medical marijuana initiative who's helping draft legislation state lawmakers will consider in its place offered them "political cover" to get the measure passed.

"If your social media feeds are anything like mine, I'm being called all sorts of names right now for talking to you, doing this," Connor Boyack, president of Libertas Institute, told House Republicans on Wednesday. "I imagine you guys are getting plenty of emails saying, 'Don't touch Prop. 2.'"

Boyack said he and DJ Schanz, director the medical marijuana legalization initiative campaign called the Utah Patients Coalition, are making good on their agreement "to help in any way we can, to give political cover, to help sell this and give cause to the public for why we should move forward down this route."

Boyack and Schanz were and continue to be among those involved in talks with legislative leaders, the Utah Medical Association, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and others on what has widely been called a compromise bill. The Legislature will consider the proposal in a special session Dec. 3.

Libertas, the largest in-state donor to the ballot initiative, posted on its website a list of 10 ways the legislation is better for patients than Proposition 2.

But it also addresses what to call the new medical cannabis proposal.

"Some have called it a 'replacement bill,' while most call it a compromise. But is it a compromise?" according to Libertas.

"The word implies taking Prop. 2 and watering it down somewhere in the middle," Libertas continued. "And while several aspects do result in less than what Prop. 2 had — take the number of dispensaries, for example — this cannot be said of the entire proposal."

During the House GOP caucus, one lawmaker suggested another name for the legislation.

Related:

How the medical marijuana compromise bill differs from Proposition 2

A new compromise between supporters and detractors of Proposition 2, arrived at after weeks of fervent negotiations over significantly different views, is detailed at length in a drafted bill which Utah's legislative leaders have promised to get passed when a special lawmaking session convenes shortly after Election Day.

"May I propose we call it an implementing bill, not a compromise,” said Rep. Keven Stratton, R-Orem.

The Health and Human Services Interim Committee will hold a hearing on the proposal Nov. 26.

Rep. Ed Redd, R-Logan, told House Republicans the bill is a work in progress, and the various groups have found "all sorts" of things that need to be changed from the original compromise bill.

He credited outgoing Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, for bringing the sides together, noting “he’s taken lots of hits from people who are angry about the situation.” Email: romboy@deseretnews.com Twitter: dennisromboy

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